Five Reason Quartz Will Rock The Countertop Industry
Coming up with a list of five reasons that quartz is better than any other countertop material is as easy as finding sand at the beach. Most other countertop finishes are not even in the same league. If you want a countertop that works hard in the kitchen and repels bacteria than prepare to be satiated.
This list is not about style. With all the designer countertops available for you to cook on we are fousing on function over form. After deciding what surface adds the most value to every day living in your home then you should focus on your tastes.
We have taken a total of ten countertop materials and compared them to one another in five different categories. The ten finishes are engineered quartz, butcher block, granite, cermamic tile, stainless steel, laminates, solid surfaces (i.e. formica), limestone, concrete and marble.
The five functional properties that are most important for your home are stain resistance, heat resistance, how the surface withstands cutting directly on the counter, how well the surface stands up against abraision and resists scratching, and how well the countertop stands up to chipping from pots and pans being dropped .
You wont find huge differences between the brands and tha's why we feel it is best to explore the countertops traits and not the brands.
Let's begin where quartz countertops performed their best.
Stain Resistance
This gem of qualities ranks high on the scale. The only other countertop that ranks as high is stainless steel. Just wipe up the mess and don't worry about ruining your counter.
Heat and Scorch Resistance
Quartz counters are just as resistant to heat and scorching as all the rest of the natural stone materials. You can place a hot pot directly on them with no concerns of barbequing the counter. Be careful with some cheap engineered quartz products. I have heard stories of them melting under extreme conditions.
Cutting on the Countertop
Quartz doesn't win this category. Granite does. However quartz did finish a close second and the only other countertop material that was in their league was ceramic tiles. All the others just couldn't cut it.
Chipping
Quartz withstands chipping well from things like dropped pans or tenderizing meat. It is however not impossible to take a chip out when you hit the counter just right.
One surface stands up to chipping better than quartz and that is granite. Laminates and solid surfaces come in behind quartz and the rest are not even close.
Scratch Resistance
Tied for first place in scratch resistance are quartz and granite countertops. Marble, limestone, and butcher block scratch very easily.
